Photos: Unassuming Man Saved Children From Nazis
Sir Nicholas Winton's life story can be watched in our Documentaries section.
The London stockbroker Nicholas Winton, who at age 29 and of his own initiation, went to Prague and made a list of children he would later save from the Holocaust of the second world war – an operation later called Czech Kindertransport.
Sir Nicholas Winton was awarded the highest honour at the age of 105 – 76 years after his heroic act – Sir Winton passed away less than one year later on July 1, 2015. Sir Winton had found homes for the children he brought over by train, and arranged for their safe passage to Britain. The world only found out about his work over 40 years later, in 1988.
Nicholas was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2002 in the United Kingdom.
The British press dubbed him the “British Schindler“, and on the 28th of October in 2014, Sir Winton was awarded the highest honour of the Czech Republic, the Order of the White Lion (1st class), by Czech President Miloš Zeman. [01]
Sir Winton was awarded the highest honour of the Czech Republic.
- Sir Nicholas Winton organised the transport of 669 children to the UK
- Without him, they would almost certainly have been killed by the Nazis
- Almost all of their parents went on to die in Nazi concentration camps
- He forged documents and bribed officials before he could get them out
- Winton, who is now 105, kept his story quiet for nearly 50 years
- Even the children he transported did not know he had saved them
- Now the Czech Republic will honour him for saving its children
Watch the extraordinary and inspiring video: Life of Sir Nicholas Winton in our Documentaries section.
Sir Nicholas Winton: the man who single-handed organised the transport of 669 children – mostly Jewish – from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, at the Czech Embassy in London. (Credit: Daily Mail UK).
Highest honour: Sir Nicholas Winton with one of the children he rescued. (Credit: Daily Mail UK) .
Honoured: The ceremony held at the Czech Embassy for Sir Nicholas Winton. (Credit: Daily Mail UK).
Celebrates 105 birthday: Sir Nicholas enjoyed his birthday party with a smile on his face and showed no signs of fatigue despite the never ending attention of almost one hundred well-wishers. (Credit: Daily Mail UK).
Appreciated: Sir Nicholas was presented with a beautiful home-made birthday cake with 105 candles and a bouquet of flowers. (Credit: Daily Mail UK).
Watch the extraordinary and inspiring video: Life of Sir Nicholas Winton.
Family man: After the war, Winton married, cared for mentally handicapped people and built homes for the elderly, (Credit: Daily Mail UK).
Legend: Sir Nicholas Winton signing a copy of a new book about his life called If It’s Not Impossible written by his daughter Barbara Winton. (Credit: Daily Mail UK)
Recognized: He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2002 (pictured) and has been the subject of a film. Next month, his daughter is releasing a book about her father. (Credit: Daily Mail UK).
Unassuming: Winton was 29 when he went to Prague and made a list of children to be saved. (Credit: Daily Mail UK).
Watch the extraordinary and inspiring video: Life of Sir Nicholas Winton.
Saved: Among the children saved was 14-year-old Alice Eberstark. (Credit: Daily Mail UK).
Thankful: Alice Eberstark , who now lives in Bethesda, Maryland, said she only heard Winton’s name after 50 years. (Credit: Daily Mail UK).
Saved: Among the children saved was 10-year-old Hugo Meisl. (Credit: Daily Mail UK).
Survivor: Hugo Meisl said he was always hopeful that he would return home and find his parents. (Credit: Daily Mail UK).
Found: A letter dated 1939 and written to President Franklin D. Roosevelt has been found in the National Archives. It asks the U.S. for help granting refuge to European children. (Credit: Daily Mail UK).
Plea: It is signed by Sir Nicholas Winton – then a young London stockbroker who made it his mission to save children. (Credit: Daily Mail UK).
Questions: Archives show that the letter was passed on to U.S. officials for a decision on what to do. (Credit: Daily Mail UK).
Inquiries: The archivist found a letter to the President’s Advisory Committee on Political Refugees. (Credit: Daily Mail UK).
Watch the extraordinary and inspiring video: Life of Sir Nicholas Winton.
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Watch more video interviews and reports in our Documentaries section.
Photos/credit: Daily Mail Online and Leon Watson (21 May 2014).
